


Rue, Rehab and Lost Friends

by SchrödingersWritter (New_Age_Homer)



Category: Euphoria (TV 2019)
Genre: Canon Trans Character, Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Other, Trans Male Character, Underage Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:22:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26542861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/New_Age_Homer/pseuds/Schr%C3%B6dingersWritter
Summary: Rue makes a friend in rehab, this is her trying to help.suicide is referenced throughout, and mentioned. please do not read if content like this triggers you, if you are having any suicidal thoughts helplines are avalible.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1: Rue might have made a friend

Rue sat on the chair, well she slumped in it. Twisting her spoon into some form of oatmeal when she first noticed him. His hood was up, eyes were down, bony hands with long fingers scribbling furiously on paper, eyes flicking up once in a while. He seemed in his own world. Rue had been there for four weeks when she first noticed the strange boy, then suddenly he was anywhere she was going or trying to get to. Always in a hoodie two sizes two big with the hood up, a band t-shirt and basketball shorts with doc martens. Something was always in his hands or under one arm. He had not said a word, not even in group therapy where everyone is meant to talk about their feelings. He just perched himself on a chair and started scribbling down something. It was later when she found out the strange teenager had been drawing. She found this out by one morning sitting next to him, looking at him up and down and finally introducing herself.   
“I’m Rue.”  
“Andrzej.”  
“Whatcha writing?” She asked, leaning over her food to see what was going on. Andrzej just glared at her, putting his arm over the paper and replied shortly.  
“Not writing.”  
“Okay, so Andrzej. What are you in for then?”  
“Addiction.” Rue exhaled at what she assumed was a joke, but when Andrzej said nothing else she assumed not. Trying to stay upbeat but looking at the food in slight disgust she nodded to herself. She had began to eat and the boy asked a question. “Are you going to sit with me all breakfast?”  
“Would you be alright with that?” He shrugged to her, keeping his face down. She turned to him and very bluntly stated that. “You are a bit weird. I like that.” Rue said, swinging round her legs so she sat at the table properly. Andrzej smiled at that and folded the book he was drawing in and turned his attention to the food in front of him. She hoped the direct approach would cause him to have to answer, it did. it was another question in a flat annoyed tone. it was something and she liked that.  
“You live round here?”  
“Yeah, what about you?”  
“Born in Poland at six moved over here. Live with your parents?”  
“My mum and little sister, my dad died recently.”  
“I am sorry.”  
“You live with your parents?”  
“They kicked me out. Live with aunt and cousins”  
“Do they have a hard to pronounce names?”  
“Nope, Iwa and Kovu are my cousins and Marta is my aunt.”

That is how Rue befriended, befriending might have been too strong a term the strange boy who still rarely spoke. He never said why he was kicked out, who never said what his addiction was. Rue liked being alone during her time at rehab, when she found someone more reclusive than her she decided that she would break him. In the nicest way possible that was. Make him smile, and talk in polysyllabic words. She achieved neither of these. She found out his surname, and where he lived in America but that was it. Whereas he listened to everything Rue said, all about her family. How her younger sister saw her lying on the floor in her own sick. She spoke about how sometimes she would want to stop, or want everything to end. He seemed to nodded along to that comment.

Rue felt like she had been making some progress, Andrzej now nodded to her if they passed in the corridors. He let her sit with him, no longer covering up his scribblings. They were portraits of different people, some from rehab, patients and doctors. Then drawings where the eyes and mouth were scratched over so many times the graphite tearing the paper. She found he enjoyed a routine, he always sat at the same table, in the same seat at the same time. That could have been because of the regimented ways the facility was ran, but the people were told that changing tables, seats and getting to know everyone would be good. Get a support network. The Pole did none of that, so the one morning he was not sitting in his spot. Rue worried. Of course she did, after reasoning with herself she thought that he was ill. Or had a really early appointment. The worries did not go away all day worried about what had happened to him. She spoke about her fears in group, everyone did not even realise he was not there. The leader of the group said he was feeling ill and was sleeping it off. 

The excuse was convincing enough but Rue was not convinced by the reason. So she asked everyone she could. She wanted to know where her friend was. Well, she thought he was her friend. Finally one of the nurses gave her the truth.   
“He is in the hospital. He attempted to commit suicide.” He said, trying to gauge the reaction of the young girl who was clearly distressed about her friend.  
“When will he be back? What happened? Can I visit him?”  
“The doctors said by the weekend. You can not visit him but I will pass on your regards and wishing for him to feel better.”  
“That is not fucking good enough. I want to see my friend who tried to off himself. I want to know he is not going to fucking do it again!”  
“Rue please. Calm down, I know you have become fond of Andy. Go to your room. Dr Mathews will meet you there.” He asked again. Rue knew it would not help her if she made any more of a scene so skulked off to her room. Once she got her she punched the wall, cried and screamed.

The black haired boy was back and he seemed to close off to everyone. The doctors, nurses, group leaders, patents, even Rue. He had stopped drawing, he just became a husk of his grumpy self. He just did not react instead of making a comment or laughing under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lighter chapter, they get out and we meet Andrzej's family. Leslie Bennett gives some real talk

When they got out the sun blinded Rue, she felt free for the first time in months. The late summer breeze, the grass under her shoes ns the sun on her face. Andrzej stood behind him and a girl. Black hair, pale with blue eyes and a light cotton dress came running at him. It was light blue, with white flowers printed over it, white ankle socks with frills poking over the top of her buckled shoes. She was like spring personified, Andrzej had never seen his cousin not in a flowery dress, even in mid December when the snow was taller than her. He dropped his two duffle bags and scooped her up into his arms smiling and spinning them round.   
“Andrzej. How are you?” She asked in Polish, smiling at him, and pushing a stray hair out of her face it was down to her back, wavy and thick.   
“Better. Now, you’ve grown out your hair!” He replied again in Polish. She nodded and picked up a bag and started walking to a minivan.   
“Bye Andy, see you at school.”  
“Bye Bennet.” He said as he was being dragged by his younger cousin towards the black van. At the wheel was a woman, her hair was greying and her face seemed pale, she was tired and looked a lot like the younger girl. Her blue eyes were piercing through Rue. Andrzej was clearly more comfortable with his family and Rue could not blame him. 

He got in the van, and turned round to see Kovu in the back. If his sister was spring personified he was autumn. Always wearing red, oranges and yellows, black and golden browns. He, like his mother and sister was pale with blue eyes and thick black hair, it had grown out again. Waving round the nape of his neck, just covering his ears. He wore a black and orange flannel shirt and dark blue ripped jeans. His boot cladded feet were crossed under his body. He still wore the same hat, a warm yellow beanie and the leather necklace with his special bead. It was special as it was the only thing his father gave to him. It was not interesting or pretty, just a plain clay bead.   
“Who was that?” Iwa asked as she sat down with little elegance and did up her seat belt.   
“Her name is Rue Bennet and she is a friend.” He said, then the older boy turned to his aunt. Her skin seemed stretched over her high cheekbones and long neck.  
“Andrzej, promise me that this won’t happen again. Please.” She asked in Polish. He only nodded and apologised to his aunt. Promising he would stay sober. She smiled and then filled him in on what had been going on that summer. “We are all moved in. Apart from you, your bed, closet and bookshelves are up but your three boxes need to be unpacked.”  
“I will do that when we get home. Iwa, Kovu. What is the skating situation?”  
“It is pretty flat and I think that we could have good races and use them to get to school.” Kovu informed his older cousin who beamed at him. 

Rue got into the car she was getting a lift from. They houses, trees and roads passed her by. The feeling of sun still new on her skin. She was zoning in and out of the conversation. Of the background she found nothing extraordinary about it. That was until they passed a sailor moon looking girl. She seemed so free from troubles, and worry, cycling down the quiet road. Rue watched her become smaller in the wing mirror until she was gone. Then they were home, she knew her mother would want to talk to her about everything that happened. About why t did, how it will not happen again. The problem was Rue did not want it to not happen again, she just wanted to feel how she assumed everyone felt.   
“Rue, baby. You can not get on a path and destroy yourself again. It could have been so much worse. Your body is not meant to go through what you put it through. Please could you at least try. I want you to stay clean. If not for yourself. For Gia, for me.”  
“Okay, I made a friend.”  
“The boy you walked out with.”  
“Yeah, he is called Andy. he is from Poland and moved from North Dakota. It will be good to be able to have support from him. He understands what I am going through.”  
“That is fair enough, but if he starts using. You have to stay away from that. It will not be good for you.”  
“I know Mom. I am sorry.”  
“It is fine. Now, what do you want for dinner?”


End file.
